The loss is the first for the Cougars in more than a month and ended an eight-game unbeaten streak. SIUE is 9-2-4 overall and 1-1-1 in MAC play. West Virginia retained sole possession of first place in the MAC with a perfect 3-0-0 record in league play. The Mountaineers are 10-5-0 overall.

From the opening whistle through the majority of the first half, SIUE controlled the pace of the game yet scored just a single goal.

“The first 35-40 minutes was tremendous,” SIUE head coach Mario Sanchezsaid. “Yet, if you don’t put those chances away it can cost you.”

The Cougars managed 12 first-half shots including eight on goal

SIUE broke through in the 12th minute. Joergen Pettersen sent a short corner kick out to Steven Bibas who settled before serving the ball into the 18-yard box. Lachlan McLean got a head to it, before it came down in front of Jorge Gonzalez. The ball bounced and Gonzales hit a half-volley into the upper corner for the Cougars’ lead.

It appeared SIUE had taken a two-goal lead in the 33rd minute. The Cougars earned a free kick thanks to a West Virginia foul near the corner. Greg Solawa’s free kick was headed down from the back post and came out in front to Gonzales. He hit a shot which appeared to bounce up under the crossbar before it was grabbed by WVU goalkeeper Steven Tekesky, but it was not ruled to have gone in.

Minutes later, the Mountaineers tied the game when Pascal Derwaritsch hit a lunging header from the back post after corner found its way through the six yard box.

With the score tied 1-1, West Virginia scored twice in a five-minute span to seize control of the game.

In the 64th minute a corner from Joey Piatczyk glanced off the head of an SIUE defender and into the goal to make it 2-1. Then in the 69th Andres Muriel Albino unleashed a right footed rip from the top of the 18-yard box into the upper corner for the 3-1 lead.

Kevin Morris scored in the 75th minute off of a free kick and Albert Andres-Lop put the fifth on the board in the 82nd minute.

“We gave up three restart goals,” Sanchez said. “We know we have to stay better focused.”

The Cougars take a full week off before playing their final regular season home game of the year Saturday against Akron.

“It’s now about the response,” Sanchez said. “We can pout and sulk or we can realize what we did to start was tremendous and buckle down for the last two conference games and the postseason.

“There was a lot of good,” Sanchez continued. “I don’t want to forget about the really good. The first half was probably our best half of soccer all year against a good team.”

Saturday will be senior night for SIUE. Four departing seniors will be honored prior to kick off with the Zips.

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

EDWARDSVILLE — SIUE volleyball moved back to the .500 level in Ohio Valley Conference play Saturday with a 25-17, 25-17, 25-27, 25-20 victory over Eastern Kentucky at the Vadalabene Center.

The Cougars remained consistent on offense throughout the match and held EKU to just a .049 hitting percentage for the match.

“We had more errors than we would have liked,” said SIUE head coach Kendall Paulus. “That just showed how much EKU made us work for it.”

SIUE’s serving and defense, once again, was a bright spot. Rachel McDonald and Jordyn Klein each had 19 digs for the Cougars. Klein and Mallory Nicholson each had a pair of service aces.

“Serving is something we take a lot of pride in and we are very confident in,” said Paulus. “That absolutely helped us get the win.”

Hope Everett led the SIUE offense with 12 kills followed by nine from McDonald and eight from Kiana Fields.

“We talked a lot about middle transition,” said Paulus. “It was working, and we kept pushing it.”

Fields said she has gained confidence as the season has progressed.

“I know that my team looks to upperclassmen so that’s the role I have to fulfill,” she added.

The Cougars grabbed commanding leads in each of the first two sets, taking advantage of EKU errors. The Colonels, 3-19 overall and 2-8 in OVC play, fought back with a come-from-behind win in set three only to have the Cougars use a 7-1 run late the fourth set behind the serving of Grace Hurst and Field.

SIUE, now 6-16 overall, returns to the Vadalabene Center for two matches this upcoming week. The Cougars entertain Eastern Illinois in a 6 p.m. match Wednesday followed by Tennessee State in a 2 p.m. contest Saturday.